Interior Designer
Job Description:Interior designers plan, design, and decorate spaces inside buildings
Job Category:What you will do:
In your day-to-day tasks, you may:
- meet clients to discuss their requirements and ideas
- develop designs to suit clients’ needs, their budget, and the type of building
- prepare initial sketches and mood boards for the client to approve
- advise on use of space, colour schemes, fabrics, fittings and furniture
- work out costs and prepare estimates
- create detailed drawings from the initial sketches, usually on a computer
- find suppliers of fittings, furniture, fabrics, and wall and floor coverings
Skills:
You’ll need:
- knowledge of building and construction
- design skills and knowledge
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
drawing, computer-aided design (CAD) and model-making skills
As well as:
- the ability to work out costs and keep to budgets
business skills if self-employed - practical skills
- excellent organisational and project-management skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- customer service skills
- the ability to come up with new ways of doing things (creativity)
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- the ability to use your initiative (drive)
- the ability to work well with others (teamwork)
Entry Requirements:
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
University
You could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a relevant subject like:
- interior design
- art and design
- interior architecture
- spatial design
College
You could take a college course to get started, for example:
- Level 3 Diploma in Interior Design
- Level 3 Diploma in Art and Design
- A Level in Art and Design
Apprenticeship
You could do a furniture design technician advanced apprenticeship to get into interior design.
Work
You could start as a design assistant with a company and take further training and qualifications on the job.
Working Hours and Environment:
You could work in an office, from home, in a creative studio or at a client’s business.
Career Path & Progression:
You could move into related work like theatre set design, visual merchandising, exhibition design or furniture design.